By Belinda Goldsmith

CANBERRA (Reuters Life!) – Men hoping to impress women on the dance floor now have science to help them. A European study has found that men who move their necks and trunks more to the beat are most likely to attract women.

British and German researchers filmed 19 men, aged 18-35, with a 3-D camera system as they danced to a basic rhythm, and then mapped their movements onto featureless, white, gender-neutral humanoid characters, or avatars.

By Belinda Goldsmith

SYDNEY (Reuters Life!) – Faced with a life-threatening situation, would you leave behind a loved one to save yourself?

This question fascinated British writer and journalist Nigel Farndale for about 25 years, ever since he heard of an acquaintance who had scrambled over his girlfriend, leaving her behind, after their car crashed into a canal in France.

By Belinda Goldsmith

THREDBO, Australia (Reuters Life!) – As Europeans strip off and head to the beach, many Australians are wrapping up for a trip to the snowfields, ready to brace the cold — and some of the most expensive piste prices in the world.

While the “land down under” may be better known for its beaches and outback, it also boasts an active ski season that runs from July until early October at about 10 resorts where man-made snow helps supplement natural falls.

By Belinda Goldsmith

SYDNEY (Reuters Life!) – When writer Julia Stuart read about Beefeaters still living in the Tower of London, she became fascinated about life behind closed doors at the palace and fortress which dates back to the 11th century.

Her second novel, “The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise” is the story of Beefeater Balthazar Jones, his wife Hebe, their 180-year-old tortoise and their adventures living in the Tower as their marriage crumbles after the death of their son.

By Belinda Goldsmith

CANBERRA, Aug 11 (Reuters Life) – With rabbit numbers on the rise across Australia, conservationists are seeking to educate a new generation about the dangers posed by one of the country’s worst pests and rally support for a third, nationwide assault.

Rabbits were introduced to Australia in 1859 when a farmer let 24 loose in the state of Victoria as a shooting sport but the fast-breeding animals quickly spread with a pair of rabbits able to produce up to 184 rabbits in 18 months.

By Belinda Goldsmith

CANBERRA (Reuters Life!) – Robin Cook, credited as the inventor of the medical thriller, was a doctor who never set out to be a writer but he just wanted to find a way to explain medical issues to people in an entertaining, understandable way.

Cook, an American physician turned novelist, now has 30 books to his name which have sold nearly 100 million copies. Many of his books have been turned into TV movies, mini-series and feature length movies.

By Belinda Goldsmith

CANBERRA, Aug 11 (Reuters Life!) – Robin Cook, credited as
the inventor of the medical thriller, was a doctor who never set
out to be a writer but he just wanted to find a way to explain
medical issues to people in an entertaining, understandable way.

Cook, an American physician turned novelist, now has 30
books to his name which have sold nearly 100 million copies.
Many of his books have been turned into TV movies, mini-series
and feature length movies.

By Belinda Goldsmith

CANBERRA, Aug 10 (Reuters Life!) – As a superhero Captain
Underpants may lack muscles but he’s proven to have the power to
get children reading with his creator, Dav Pilkey, hoping four
new books with the same potty humour will nab more young
readers.

Pilkey, 44, an author and artist based near Seattle, said he
came up with the idea of Captain Underpants while at school
where he was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder and spent
long periods in the hallway on his own, drawing and making up
stories.